U.S. patent number 10,134,538 [Application Number 15/661,208] was granted by the patent office on 2018-11-20 for electronic device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.. Invention is credited to Mito Satoshi, Tetsuya Tanaka.
United States Patent |
10,134,538 |
Tanaka , et al. |
November 20, 2018 |
Electronic device
Abstract
An electronic device includes a manipulating member extending in
first directions and having a portion serving as a pressable
portion which is pressed by a user, the manipulating member being
elastically deformable such that the pressable portion is movable
in second directions transverse to the first directions; a light
source; and a light guide member configured to receive light from
the light source, the light guide member extending in the first
directions and being disposed along the manipulating member, the
light guide member being separate from the manipulating member. The
manipulating member is made of a light-transmissive material and is
caused to glow by the light received from the light guide
member.
Inventors: |
Tanaka; Tetsuya (Tokyo,
JP), Satoshi; Mito (Chiba, JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. |
Tokyo |
N/A |
JP |
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|
Assignee: |
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Inc. (Tokyo, JP)
|
Family
ID: |
61069358 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/661,208 |
Filed: |
July 27, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20180040437 A1 |
Feb 8, 2018 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Aug 2, 2016 [JP] |
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2016-152224 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B
6/0008 (20130101); G02B 6/0055 (20130101); G02B
6/0081 (20130101); H01H 13/023 (20130101); H01H
13/14 (20130101); H01H 2229/046 (20130101); H05K
999/99 (20130101); H01H 2221/07 (20130101); H01H
2219/062 (20130101); H01H 2221/044 (20130101); H01H
2219/056 (20130101); H01H 2217/004 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01H
13/02 (20060101); F21V 8/00 (20060101); H01H
13/14 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;362/23 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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56046921 |
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Apr 1981 |
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JP |
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63122384 |
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Aug 1988 |
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JP |
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2002216567 |
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Aug 2002 |
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JP |
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2010244768 |
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Oct 2010 |
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JP |
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2013222774 |
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Oct 2013 |
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JP |
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Other References
Notification of Reasons for Refusal for corresponding JP
Application No. 2016152224, 14 pages, dated May 22, 2018. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Mikels; Matthew
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dernier, Esq.; Matthew B.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An electronic device comprising: a manipulating member extending
in first directions and having a portion serving as a pressable
portion which is pressed by a user, the manipulating member being
elastically deformable such that the pressable portion is movable
in second directions transverse to the first directions; a light
source; and a light guide member configured to receive light from
the light source, the light guide member extending in the first
directions and being disposed along the manipulating member, the
light guide member being separate from the manipulating member,
wherein the manipulating member is made of a light-transmissive
material and is caused to glow by the light received from the light
guide member, wherein the light guide member is positioned with
respect to the manipulating member in one of third directions that
are transverse to the first directions and the second directions,
wherein the manipulating member is elastically deformable such that
the pressable portion is movable between a first position serving
as an initial position and a second position defined with respect
to the first position in one of the second directions, wherein the
light guide member has a first surface facing in another one of the
third directions and facing the manipulating member, wherein the
manipulating member has a second surface facing in the one of the
third directions and facing the light guide member, and wherein the
one of the second directions is defined as being rearward, another
one of the second directions as being forward, and the second
surface of the manipulating member has a front edge positioned
forwardly of a front edge of the first surface of the light guide
member when the pressable member is in the second position.
2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the
manipulating member has a reflecting surface reflecting the light
received from the light guide member in one of the second
directions.
3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the
pressable portion of the manipulating member includes a first
pressable portion and a second pressable portion spaced from the
first pressable portion in the first directions; the light guide
member has a portion extending in the first directions beyond the
position of the first pressable portion and the position of the
second pressable portion; and the light from the light source
enters the portion of the light guide member.
4. An electronic device comprising: a manipulating member extending
in first directions and having a portion serving as a pressable
portion which is pressed by a user, the manipulating member being
elastically deformable such that the pressable portion is movable
in second directions transverse to the first directions; a light
source; and a light guide member configured to receive light from
the light source, the light guide member extending in the first
directions and being disposed along the manipulating member, the
light guide member being separate from the manipulating member,
wherein the manipulating member is made of a light-transmissive
material and is caused to glow by the light received from the light
guide member wherein the light guide member is positioned with
respect to the manipulating member in one of third directions that
are transverse to the first directions and the second directions,
and wherein the electronic device further comprises an outer wall
disposed along the light guide member and covering the light guide
member for preventing the light guide member from being exposed in
one of the second directions, wherein the manipulating member is
positioned in another one of the third directions beyond the outer
wall, and is exposed in the one of the second directions.
5. An electronic device comprising: a manipulating member extending
in first directions and having a portion serving as a pressable
portion which is pressed by a user, the manipulating member being
elastically deformable such that the pressable portion is movable
in second directions transverse to the first directions; a light
source; and a light guide member configured to receive light from
the light source, the light guide member extending in the first
directions and being disposed along the manipulating member, the
light guide member being separate from the manipulating member,
wherein the manipulating member is made of a light-transmissive
material and is caused to glow by the light received from the light
guide member, wherein an air layer is provided between the light
guide member and the manipulating member, and wherein the light
guide member has a first surface facing the manipulating member and
a third surface facing away from the manipulating member; and the
first surface is finished by a different process from a process for
finishing the third surface.
Description
BACKGROUND
The present disclosure relates to the structure of buttons on an
electronic device.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-222774 (hereinafter referred to
as Patent Document 1) discloses an electronic device having on its
front face a bar-shaped manipulating member that extends in
leftward and rightward directions. The manipulating member is
referred to as "manipulating bar" in Patent Document 1. The
electronic device includes a switch disposed behind an end of the
manipulating member, for turning on and off a power supply in the
electronic device. The end of the manipulating member functions as
a button. The user of the electronic device can turn on and off the
power supply in the electronic device by pressing the end of the
manipulating member. When the end of the manipulating member is
released of the push, the end of the manipulating member returns to
its initial position under the resilient force of the manipulating
member.
According to Patent Document 1, a light source, specifically a
light emitting diode (LED), is disposed adjacent to the switch. The
manipulating member has a light guide on its end, so that the end
of the manipulating member emits light transmitted from the light
source through the light guide. The light guide is integrally
formed with the manipulating member.
SUMMARY
According to Patent Document 1, only the end of the manipulating
member emits light. If a wide zone of the manipulating member is to
emit light in a manner different from Patent Document 1, then it is
necessary for the manipulating member to incorporate a light guide
that is long in the leftward and rightward directions. However,
since the light guide is integrally formed with the manipulating
member according to Patent Document 1, the shape of the light guide
affects the resilient force of the manipulating member, i.e.,
reaction forces generated by the manipulating member when the end
of the manipulating member is pressed. If the shape of the light
guide is optimized in order to emit light from a desired wide zone
of the manipulating member, then the manipulating member may
possibly be unable to produce a preferable resilient force.
It is desirable to provide an electronic device which includes a
light guide member and a manipulating member that are structurally
optimized to cause the manipulating member to emit light from a
wide zone thereof and also to cause the manipulating member to
produce suitable reaction forces when the manipulating member is
pressed.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is
provided an electronic device including a manipulating member
extending in first directions and having a portion serving as a
pressable portion which is pressed by a user, the manipulating
member being elastically deformable such that the pressable portion
is movable in second directions transverse to the first directions;
a light source; and a light guide member configured to receive
light from the light source, the light guide member extending in
the first directions and being disposed along the manipulating
member, the light guide member being separate from the manipulating
member. The manipulating member is made of a light-transmissive
material and is caused to glow by the light received from the light
guide member. The light guide member and the manipulating member of
the above electronic device can be structurally optimized to cause
the manipulating member to glow over a wide zone thereof and also
to produce appropriate reaction forces when the pressable portion
of the manipulating member is pressed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an electronic device
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of the electronic device
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the electronic device shown in FIG.
2A, showing a portion thereof where light sources are disposed;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a manipulating bar;
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device taken
along line IV-IV of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the electronic device shown in FIG.
4A;
FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device taken
along line V-V of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the electronic device shown in FIG.
5A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below.
FIG. 1 shows in fragmentary perspective an electronic device 1
according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2A
shows in exploded perspective the electronic device 1 shown in FIG.
1. FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the electronic device 1 shown in
FIG. 2A, showing a portion thereof where light sources 19 are
disposed. FIG. 3 shows a manipulating bar 20 in perspective. FIG.
4A shows in cross section the electronic device 1 taken along line
IV-IV of FIG. 1. FIG. 4B shows at an enlarged scale the electronic
device 1 shown in FIG. 4A. In FIG. 4B, a pressable portion 21A is
indicated by the solid lines when it is pressing a switch 3, and by
the two-dot-and-dash lines when it is in an initial position. FIG.
5A shows in cross section the electronic device 1 taken along line
V-V of FIG. 1. FIG. 5B shows at an enlarged scale the electronic
device 1 shown in FIG. 5A. In the description that follows, the
directions indicated by the arrows X1 and X2 in FIG. 1 will be
referred to as rightward and leftward directions, respectively, the
directions indicated by the arrows Y1 and Y2 as forward and
rearward directions, respectively, and the directions indicated by
the arrows Z1 and Z2 as vertical or upward and downward directions,
respectively.
The electronic device 1 includes an entertainment device
functioning as a game device or an audio-visual device, for
example. The electronic device 1 outputs moving-image data
generated by executing game programs, video and audio data acquired
from recording mediums such as optical discs, and/or video and
audio data acquired via networks, to a display device such as a
television set. The electronic device 1 is not limited to an
entertainment device such as a game device or the like, but may be
a personal computer.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the electronic device 1 has on its front
face a manipulating bar 20 that extends in leftward and rightward
directions. The manipulating bar 20 includes portions defined as
pressable portions 21A and 21B for being pressed by the user of the
electronic device 1. In the illustrated electronic device 1,
specifically, the manipulating bar 20 includes a plurality of (more
specifically, two) pressable portions 21A and 21B spaced from each
other in the leftward and rightward directions. Switches 3 (see
FIG. 4A) for causing the electronic device 1 to perform
predetermined operations are disposed individually behind or
rearwardly of the pressable portions 21A and 21B. Stated otherwise,
the pressable portions 21A and 21B are portions of the manipulating
bar 20 that are positioned in front of or forwardly of the switches
3. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the electronic device 1 includes
circuit boards 3A and 3B disposed rearwardly of the manipulating
bar 20. The switches 3 are mounted individually on the circuit
boards 3A and 3B.
The switches 3 include, for example, switches for turning on and
off the electronic device 1. As shown in FIG. 2A, the electronic
device 1 has an optical disc drive 7 for reading data stored on an
optical disc inserted therein. The switches 3 may instead be
switches for ejecting the optical disc from the optical disc drive
7. As shown in FIG. 3, the front surfaces of the pressable portions
21A and 21B may be provided with marks representing the function of
the switches 3. The function of the switches 3 is not limited to
those described above with respect to the illustrated electronic
device 1, but may be modified. The number of pressable portions 21A
and 21B, i.e., the number of the switches 3, is not limited to two,
but may be one or three or more.
The manipulating bar 20 is made of a light-transmissive material.
For example, the manipulating bar 20 is made of a synthetic resin
such as acrylic resin that transmits light therethrough. In the
illustrated electronic device 1, as shown in FIG. 5A, the
manipulating bar 20 has a light-transmissive member 24 made of a
light-transmissive material and extending in the leftward and
rightward directions, and a light-blocking member 23 made of a
light-blocking material and disposed along the light-transmissive
member 24. The light-transmissive member 24 is made of a synthetic
resin such as acrylic resin. The light-blocking member 23 is made
of a synthetic resin colored black, for example. The
light-transmissive member 24 of the manipulating bar 20 may contain
a light diffusing agent in the form of fine particles for diffusing
light transmitted from a light guide bar 30. The manipulating bar
20 is caused to glow by the light transmitted from the light guide
bar 30, as described later. The manipulating bar 20 which includes
the light-transmissive member 24 and the light-blocking member 23
is formed by a two-color molding process, for example. According to
a modification, the manipulating bar 20 may not include the
light-blocking member 23.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the electronic device 1 has a main body frame
5. On the main body frame 5, there are mounted various components
of the electronic device 1, including the optical disk drive 7, a
circuit board, not shown, with a microprocessor installed thereon,
and a cooling fan 6 for cooling the microprocessor. The electronic
device 1 also has an upper cover 13 covering the upper side of the
main body frame 5 and a lower cover 14 covering the lower side of
the main body frame 5. The main body frame 5 includes a front wall
5A disposed forwardly of the optical disc drive 7. The front wall
5A has an insertion slot 5b (see FIG. 5A) defined therein through
which an optical disc can be inserted into the optical disc drive
7.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 3, the manipulating bar 20 has fixtures
22A and 22B positionally fixed on portions thereof. In the
illustrated electronic device 1, the fixtures 22A and 22B are
mounted on the front wall 5A of the main body frame 5.
Specifically, the manipulating bar 20 has a plurality of (more
specifically, two) fixtures 22A and 22B spaced from each other in
the leftward and rightward directions. The number of fixtures may
be one or three or more. The fixtures 22A and 22B are fixed to the
front wall 5A by screws 11, for example. As shown in FIG. 3, the
fixtures 22A and 22B have positioning holes 22c defined therein,
and pins 5f (see FIG. 2B) on the front wall 5A are inserted in the
positioning holes 22c.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 5A, the electronic device 1 has an outer
frame 12 mounted on the outside of the main body frame 5. The outer
frame 12 has a front frame member 12a disposed forwardly of the
front wall 5A of the main body frame 5. The manipulating bar 20 is
disposed below or downwardly of the front frame member 12a, and has
a front surface 20c (see FIG. 5B) exposed forwardly. The light
guide bar 30 is disposed behind the front frame member 12a.
As shown in FIG. 3, the pressable portions 21A and 21B are spaced
from the fixtures 22A and 22B in the leftward and rightward
directions. Specifically, the pressable portions 21A and 21B are
spaced from the fixtures 22A and 22B, respectively, in the
directions toward the ends of the manipulating bar 20. The
pressable portion 21A, also referred to as "first pressable portion
21A," is spaced from the fixtures 22A and 22B in the leftward
direction, whereas the pressable portion 21B, also referred to as
"second pressable portion 21B," is spaced from the fixtures 22A and
22B in the rightward direction. The ends of the manipulating bar
20, i.e., the left and right ends of the manipulating bar 20, are
free ends. Therefore, the manipulating bar 20 is elastically
deformable such that the pressable portions 21A and 21B are movable
in the forward and rearward directions. As described above, the
switches 3 are disposed behind the pressable portions 21A and 21B.
When the user presses the pressable portions 21A and 21B, the
pressable portions 21A and 21B are moved rearwardly, actuating the
switches 3. When the user releases the pressable portions 21A and
21B, the pressable portions 21A and 21B return to their initial
positions under the resilient force of the manipulating bar 20.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, the manipulating bar 20 has protrusions
21c projecting rearwardly from the respective pressable portions
21A and 21B. When the pressable portions 21A and 21B are pressed,
the rear ends of the protrusions 21c press the switches 3. As
described later, the manipulating bar 20 has reflecting surfaces
20b and 20e on its lower side. In the illustrated electronic device
1, the pressable portions 21A and 21B also have reflecting surfaces
20b and 20e. Cavities are defined between the protrusions 21c and
the reflecting surfaces 20b and 20e.
The positional relationship between the pressable portions 21A and
21B and the fixtures 22A and 22B is not limited to the positional
relationship in the illustrated electronic device 1. For example,
if the two fixtures 22A and 22B are sufficiently spaced from each
other, then the portion of the manipulating bar 20 which lies
between the fixtures 22A and 22B is movable in the forward and
rearward directions. Therefore, the pressable portions 21A and 21B
may be provided between the two adjacent fixtures 22A and 22B.
As shown in FIG. 3, the manipulating bar 20 has a plurality of
guide teeth 25 projecting rearwardly and arrayed in the leftward
and rightward directions. The electronic device 1 has guide
cavities 5d (see FIG. 2A) at positions aligned with the guide teeth
25. The guide teeth 25 are fitted in the guide cavities 5d for
guiding the manipulating bar 20 when it is elastically deformed in
the forward and rearward directions. The protrusions 21c that
project rearwardly from the respective pressable portions 21A and
21B are positioned between two adjacent pairs of the guide teeth
25. In the illustrated electronic device 1, the guide cavities 5d
are defined in the front wall 5A of the main body frame 5.
As shown in FIG. 2B, the electronic device 1 has a plurality of
light sources 19 and the light guide bar 30 for receiving light
from the light sources 19, the light guide bar 30 being in the form
of a bar extending in the leftward and rightward directions. The
light sources 19 may include LEDs. In the illustrated electronic
device 1, the light sources 19 are mounted on a circuit board 18.
The light sources 19 may be controlled so that their emission
colors vary with time or depending on the manner in which the
electronic device 1 operates. In the illustrated electronic device
1, the light sources 19 are disposed at an end of the light guide
bar 30. The light guide bar 30 is made of a light-transmissive
material. Specifically, the light guide bar 30 is made of a
transparent material, e.g., a synthetic resin such as acrylic
resin. Unlike the manipulating bar 20, the light guide bar 30 does
not contain a light diffusing agent for diffusing light. The light
from the light sources 19 enters the light guide bar 30, and is
reflected by the surface of the light guide bar 30 and travels in
the light guide bar 30 in the leftward and rightward directions, or
passes through the surface of the light guide bar 30.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the light guide bar 30 is disposed along the
manipulating bar 20. In the illustrated electronic device 1, the
light guide bar 30 is disposed above the manipulating bar 20, and
extends along an upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar 20. The
light that passes through the surface of the light guide bar 30
toward the manipulating bar 20 enters the manipulating bar 20. In
FIG. 5B, some paths along which the light travels are indicated by
the slid lines L1 and L2. As described above, the manipulating bar
20 is made of a light-transmissive material and contains a material
for diffusing light. Therefore, when the manipulating bar 20
receives light from the light guide bar 30, the manipulating bar 20
is caused to glow by the received light. The manipulating bar 20 is
separate from the light guide bar 30, and is elastically deformable
in the forward and rearward directions independently of the light
guide bar 30. In other words, the pressable portions 21A and 21B of
the manipulating bar 20 can move in the forward and rearward
directions without causing the light guide bar 30 to move.
Consequently, the light guide bar 30 can be structurally optimized
for making the manipulating bar 20 glow over a wide zone thereof,
and the manipulating bar 20 can also be structurally optimized for
producing appropriate reaction forces when the pressable portions
21A and 21B of the manipulating bar 20 are pressed.
In the illustrated electronic device 1, as described above, the
pressable portions 21A and 21B are movable in the forward and
rearward directions, and the light guide bar 30 is disposed above
the manipulating bar 20. With this arrangement, when the pressable
portions 21A and 21B are pressed, the manipulating bar 20 and the
light guide bar 30 are kept out of physical interference with each
other, and the distance between the manipulating bar 20 and the
light guide bar 30 remains unchanged. The positional relationship
between the light guide bar 30 and the manipulating bar 20 is not
limited to the positional relationship in the illustrated
electronic device 1. Insofar as the pressable portions 21A and 21B
are movable in the forward and rearward directions as in the
illustrated electronic device 1, the light guide bar 30 may be
positioned below the manipulating bar 20. The light guide bar 30
may not necessarily be positioned immediately above the
manipulating bar 20, but may be positioned obliquely upwardly and
rearwardly of the manipulating bar 20.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the light guide bar 30 has a lower surface 30a
facing the manipulating bar 20. In the illustrated electronic
device 1, as described above, the light guide bar 30 is disposed
above the manipulating bar 20. The lower surface 30a of the light
guide bar 30 faces the upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar
20. Light that has passed through the lower surface 30a of the
light guide bar 30 enters the manipulating bar 20 through its upper
surface 20a, causing the manipulating bar 20 to glow. In the
illustrated electronic device 1, the light guide bar 30 is of a
rectangular cross-sectional shape, and has a front surface 30b, an
upper surface 30c, and a rear surface 30d, in addition to the lower
surface 30a.
The lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30 may be finished by
a surface treatment process, which is not performed on the other
surfaces of the light guide bar 30, i.e., the front surface 30b,
the upper surface 30c, and the rear surface 30d, for directing
light traveling in the light guide bar 30 toward the manipulating
bar 20. One example of such a surface treatment process is a
surface texturing process for forming minute concavities and
convexities on a surface. The surface texturing process may be
performed to different degrees at different positions in the
leftward and rightward directions for thereby changing the
illuminance of the manipulating bar 20 at the different positions
thereon. For example, the surface texturing process may be carried
out on the lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30 such that
the greater the distance from the light sources 19 is, the smaller
the illuminance of the manipulating bar 20 gradually becomes. The
other surfaces of the light guide bar 30, i.e., the front surface
30b, the upper surface 30c, and the rear surface 30d, which do not
face the manipulating bar 20 may be finished by a process for
making those surfaces able to reflect light. For example, the light
guide bar 30 may be formed by a mold having mirror-finished inner
surfaces that produce those surfaces of the light guide bar 30.
Another example of such a process may be a process for forming
reflective films of metal such as tin or aluminum on those surfaces
of the light guide bar 30.
The cross-sectional shape of the light guide bar 30 may be
progressively smaller as the distance from the light sources 19
becomes greater. In the illustrated electronic device 1, as shown
in FIG. 2A, the vertical width of the light guide bar 30 is
progressively smaller in a direction away from the light sources
19. The shape of the light guide bar 30 is not limited to the shape
in the illustrated electronic device 1. The cross-sectional shape
of the light guide bar 30 may be a polygonal shape, e.g., an
octagonal shape, having more corners than a quadrangle. According
to such a modification, the light guide bar 30 should preferably
have two surfaces that lie parallel to each other. The
cross-sectional shape of the light guide bar 30 may include an
arcuately curved surface.
As described above, the electronic device 1 has the outer frame 12,
and the outer frame 12 has the front frame member 12a disposed
forwardly of the front wall 5A of the main body frame 5. As shown
in FIG. 5A, the front frame member 12a includes an upper wall 12b
and a front wall 12c extending downwardly from the front edge of
the upper wall 12b. The upper wall 12b has a rear edge extending
rearwardly to the front wall 5A of the main body frame 5. The light
guide bar 30 is disposed behind the front wall 12c and positioned
below the upper wall 12b. Therefore, even if light leaks from the
other surfaces of the light guide bar 30 than the lower surface
30a, i.e., the front surface 30b, the upper surface 30c, and the
rear surface 30d, the light is prevented by the front frame member
12a from being perceived by the user. The light guide bar 30 is
mounted on the front wall 12c of the front frame member 12a, for
example.
As shown in FIGS. 4B and 5B, a gap or air layer is provided between
the light guide bar 30 and the front frame member 12a. In the
illustrated electronic device 1, the gap or air layer is provided
between the front surface 30b of the light guide bar 30 and the
front wall 12c of the front frame member 12a. With this
arrangement, light traveling in the light guide bar 30 is reflected
by the front surface 30b of the light guide bar 30 due to the
difference between the refractive index of the light guide bar 30
and the refractive index of air. As a result, the front surface 30b
of the light guide bar 30 is more efficiently able to reflect light
than if the light guide bar 30 and the front frame member 12a are
held in contact with each other, making it possible for the light
guide bar 30 to send light to a position more distant from the
light sources 19. There is also provided a gap between the light
guide bar 30 and the front wall 5A of the main body frame 5.
One of the ends, i.e., the right end, of the light guide bar 30 is
attached to the front frame member 12a. In the illustrated
electronic device 1, as shown in FIG. 2A, an adhesive sheet 32 of
paper is provided on the front surface of the right end of the
light guide bar 30. The right end of the light guide bar 30 is
bonded to the front wall 12c of the front frame member 12a by the
adhesive sheet 32 of paper. An adhesive may instead be used in
place of the adhesive sheet 32 of paper. The front wall 12c of the
front frame member 12a may have ribs held in contact with the front
surface 30b of the light guide bar 30, so that the light guide bar
30 may be positioned with respect to the front frame member 12a by
the ribs.
As shown in FIG. 5B, a gap E or air layer is provided between the
lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30 and the upper surface
20a of the manipulating bar 20. There are no other members present
between the lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30 and the
upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar 20. The refractive index
of air and the refractive index of the light guide bar 30 are
different from each other. Therefore, with this arrangement of the
electronic device 1, light traveling in the light guide bar 30 is
reflected by the lower surface 30a thereof, so that the light guide
bar 30 can send light to a position more distant from the light
sources 19. As a consequence, the manipulating bar 20 is able to
glow over a wide zone thereof. The surface treatment process, i.e.,
the surface texturing process in the illustrated embodiment,
performed on the lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30 is
effective to control the amount of light directed from the light
guide bar 30 to the manipulating bar 20 at various positions along
the leftward and rightward directions. The distance between the
lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30 and the upper surface
20a of the manipulating bar 20 remains the same fully along the
manipulating bar 20 in the leftward and rightward directions, for
example. Alternatively, the distance between the lower surface 30a
of the light guide bar 30 and the upper surface 20a of the
manipulating bar 20 may be progressively smaller or larger toward
the end of the manipulating bar 20 remote from the light sources
19.
The manipulating bar 20 has a surface facing the light guide bar
30. Since the light guide bar 30 is disposed above the manipulating
bar 20, as described above, the upper surface 20a of the
manipulating bar 20 faces the light guide bar 30. Light from the
light guide bar 30 enters the upper surface 20a of the manipulating
bar 20. As shown in FIG. 5B, the width of the upper surface 20a of
the manipulating bar 20 in the forward and rearward directions is
larger than the width of the lower surface 30a of the light guide
bar 30 in the forward and rearward directions. As described above,
the manipulating bar 20 has the light-transmissive member 24 and
the light-blocking member 23. The upper surface 20a of the
manipulating bar 20 includes an area provided by the
light-transmissive member 24 and an area provided by the
light-blocking member 23. The width of the area provided by the
light-transmissive member 24 in the forward and rearward directions
is larger than the width of the lower surface 30a of the light
guide bar 30 in the forward and rearward directions. In other
words, a front edge 24a of the area provided by the
light-transmissive member 24 is positioned forwardly of a front
edge 30f of the lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30, and a
rear edge 24g of the area provided by the light-transmissive member
24 is positioned rearwardly of a rear edge 30g of the lower surface
30a of the light guide bar 30. This dimensional relationship
between the lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30 and the
area provided by the light-transmissive member 24 is effective to
reduce a loss of light emitted from the lower surface 30a of the
light guide bar 30.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the light-transmissive member 24 has a ridge
24h positioned behind the upper surface 20a and projecting
upwardly. The ridge 24h extends along the rear edge 30g of the
lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30 in the leftward and
rightward directions. Light that is emitted obliquely rearwardly
and downwardly from the lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30
is received by the ridge 24h of the manipulating bar 20.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the manipulating bar 20 has the reflecting
surfaces 20b and 20e for reflecting light received from the light
guide bar 30 in the forward direction, so that the manipulating bar
20 can emit light forwardly from the front surface 20c. The
reflecting surfaces 20b and 20e are positioned below the upper
surface 20a of the manipulating bar 20. The reflecting surfaces 20b
and 20e are inclined to reflect light from the upper surface 20a in
the forward direction. Specifically, the reflecting surfaces 20b
and 20e extend obliquely downwardly and forwardly in the cross
section of the manipulating bar 20. The reflecting surfaces 20b and
20e may be finished by a surface treatment process for making those
surfaces able to reflect light. For example, the manipulating bar
20 may be formed by a mold having mirror-finished inner surfaces
that produce those surfaces of the manipulating bar 20. With this
arrangement, light traveling in the manipulating bar 20 is
reflected by the reflecting surfaces 20b and 20e due to the
difference between the refractive index of the manipulating bar 20
and the refractive index of air. Another example of such a surface
treatment process may be a process for forming reflective films of
metal such as tin or aluminum on the reflecting surfaces 20b and
20e. In the illustrated electronic device 1, the manipulating bar
20 has the two reflecting surfaces 20b and 20e that lie at mutually
different angles. The reflecting surfaces 20b and 20e are capable
of orienting light received from the light guide bar 30 more
effectively toward the front surface 20c of the manipulating bar
20.
As described above, in the illustrated electronic device 1, the
manipulating bar 20 has the light-transmissive member 24 and the
light-blocking member 23. As shown in FIG. 5B, the front surface
20c of the manipulating bar 20 includes an area A1 provided by the
light-transmissive member 24 and an area A2 provided by the
light-blocking member 23. With this arrangement, as the vertical
width of the light-emitting area, i.e., the area A1, can be limited
while the vertical width of the front surface 20c of the
manipulating bar 20 can be maintained, the manipulating bar 20
allows the user to operate the pressable portions 21A and 21B with
ease. In the illustrated electronic device 1, a space is provided
below the manipulating bar 20. Specifically, a space larger than
the vertical width of the front surface 20c of the manipulating bar
20 is provided below the manipulating bar 20. This space also
allows the user to operate the pressable portions 21A and 21B with
ease.
In the illustrated electronic device 1, as shown in FIG. 5B, the
light-blocking member 23 extends rearwardly from the area A2 of the
front surface 20c. The light-blocking member 23 surrounds a lower
edge of the front frame member 12a of the outer frame 12, or more
specifically, a lower edge of the front wall 12c. The
light-blocking member 23 includes a portion 23a positioned below
the lower edge of the front frame member 12a and a portion 23b
positioned behind the lower edge of the front frame member 12a. The
light-blocking member 23 prevents light from leaking out of the gap
between the lower edge of the front frame member 12a and the
manipulating bar 20.
As described above, the manipulating bar 20 is elastically
deformable such that the pressable portions 21A and 21B are moved
in the forward and rearward directions. When the manipulating bar
20 is in its initial position, i.e., is not elastically deformed,
the upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar 20 has a front edge
20d positioned forwardly of the front edge 30f of the lower surface
30a of the light guide bar 30. In FIG. 4B, the pressable portion
21A pressed by the user, i.e., the pressable portion 21A where the
rear end of the protrusion 21c presses the corresponding switch 3,
is indicated by the solid lines. When the pressable portion 21A is
pressing the switch 3 with the protrusion 21c, as shown in FIG. 4B,
the front edge 20d of the upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar
20 is positioned forwardly of the front edge 30f of the lower
surface 30a of the light guide bar 30. With this arrangement, when
the pressable portion 21A is pressing the switch 3 with the
protrusion 21c, light emitted from the lower surface 30a of the
light guide bar 30 is prevented from passing between the front edge
20d of the upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar 20 and the
front frame member 12a of the outer frame 12 and making the
manipulating bar 20 glow at a position different from the area A1
of the front surface 20c of the manipulating bar 20.
In the illustrated electronic device 1, the front edge 20d of the
upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar 20 is provided by the
light-blocking member 23. When the manipulating bar 20 is in its
initial position, i.e., is not elastically deformed, the
light-transmissive member 24 on the upper surface 20a of the
manipulating bar 20 has a front edge 24a positioned forwardly of
the front edge 30f of the lower surface 30a of the light guide bar
30. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the pressable portion 21A is pressing
the switch 3, the front edge 24a of the light-transmissive member
24 on the upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar 20 is
positioned rearwardly of the front edge 30f of the lower surface
30a of the light guide bar 30, and the front edge 20d provided by
the light-blocking member 23 is positioned forwardly of the front
edge 30f of the lower surface 30a of the light guide bar 30. Rather
than this dimensional relationship in the illustrated electronic
device 1, the front edge 24a of the light-transmissive member 24 on
the upper surface 20a of the manipulating bar 20 may be positioned
forwardly of the front edge 30f of the lower surface 30a of the
light guide bar 30 both when the pressable portion 21A is in its
initial position and when it is pressing the switch 3.
As described above, the light sources 19 are disposed at one of the
ends of the light guide bar 30. In the illustrated electronic
device 1, the end of the light guide bar 30, i.e., the left end of
the light guide bar 30, has a curved portion 31 curved rearwardly.
The curved portion 31 extends rearwardly beyond the end of the
manipulating bar 20, i.e., the left end of the manipulating bar 20.
The light sources 19 are positioned behind the rear end of the
curved portion 31. Light emitted from the light sources 19 enters
the light guide bar 30 from the rear end of the curved portion 31.
Since the curved portion 31 is curved, the light that has entered
the light guide bar 30 from the rear end of the curved portion 31
is reflected by the curved portion 31 and travels in the light
guide bar 30. Therefore, the light traveling in the light guide bar
30 is reflected an increased number of times, resulting in an
increased amount of light transmitted from the light guide bar 30
to the manipulating bar 20.
The curved portion 31 of the light guide bar 30 is disposed on a
side of the electronic device 1. In the illustrated electronic
device 1, as shown in FIG. 2A, the main body frame 5 has a side
wall 5B extending rearwardly from the end of the front wall 5A. The
curved portion 31 is disposed on the outside of the side wall 5B,
or specifically, on the left side of the side wall 5B. The light
sources 19 are mounted on the circuit board 18 which is attached to
the side wall 5B of the main body frame 5. With this arrangement of
the electronic device 1, it is not necessary to provide a space for
accommodating the circuit board 18 on the front side of the
electronic device 1. Consequently, the layout of the circuit boards
3A and 3B with the switches 3 mounted thereon can be designed with
a higher degree of freedom. Furthermore, as described above, the
manipulating bar 20 of the electronic device 1 is elastically
deformable independently of the light guide bar 30. Consequently,
when the pressable portions 21A and 21B of the manipulating bar 20
are pressed, the distance between the rear end of the curved
portion 31 of the light guide bar 30 and the light sources 19
remains unchanged.
As described above, the electronic device 1 has the manipulating
bar 20 extending in the leftward and rightward directions and the
light guide bar 30 extending in the leftward and rightward
directions and disposed along the manipulating bar 20, the light
guide bar 30 being separate from the manipulating bar 20. The
manipulating bar 20 has portions serving as the pressable portions
21A and 21B that can be pressed by the user, and is elastically
deformable such that the pressable portions 21A and 21B are movable
in the forward and rearward directions. The light guide bar 30
receives light from the light sources 19. The manipulating bar 20
is made of a light-transmissive material, and is caused to glow by
the light received from the light guide bar 30. With this
arrangement, the light guide bar 30 can be structurally optimized
for making the manipulating bar 20 glow over a wide zone thereof.
The manipulating bar 20 can also be structurally optimized for
producing appropriate reaction forces when the pressable portions
21A and 21B thereof are pressed.
The principles of the present disclosure are not limited to the
illustrated electronic device 1, but are also applicable to many
changes and modifications which may be made in the embodiment
described above.
For example, the manipulating bar 20 may not necessarily extend
straight, but may be curved in the upward and downward directions,
and the light guide bar 30 may be curved in conformity with the
manipulating bar 20 thus curved.
The light guide bar 30 may not necessarily be positioned
immediately above the manipulating bar 20, but may be positioned
obliquely upwardly and rearwardly of the manipulating bar 20.
The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that
disclosed in Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2016-152224
filed in the Japan Patent Office on Aug. 2, 2016, the entire
content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various
modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may
occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as
they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalent
thereof.
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